Loathing
by Bored Konoha Kunoichi
Summary: SasuSaku. "I am NOT weak...damn, I H.A.T.E him!" "What'd you say, Haruno?" Crap, today was NOT a good day....
1. I HATE HIM!

A/N: Once again, hey everyone!! Yes, I'm trying a multi-chapter...and once again, it's S.A.S.U.S.A.K.U!!! I loooooove this pairing soooo much!! So if you don't like this pairing, jst saying, there are much better authors out there that supports different pairings!!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto- I am a Korean **_girl_** named Golden Bell, thank you very much, not a Japanese man named Kishimoto. (though I wish I would own it...and the moment a Sasu apologizing to Saku scene comes up in the acutal manga is when you guys will know that the ownership of Naruto had gone to me) (meaning since that scene would never happen in reality, I would never own Naruto..T.T)

Warnings: Usage of "inappropriate foul languages"...aw, who am I kidding, the characters just swears a bit, so to those of you li'l kiddies, don't go any farther than this. :)

And I am NOT American, so expect some grammer/spelling mistakes...

Now on with the story!!

* * *

"I hate him." 

Was a simple statement Haruno Sakura mumbled when she stormed into the bar. Ino, Tenten and Hinata had been chatting enthusiastically when their pink-haired friend pushed her way through the crowd and sat down grumpily next to them. They stared quizzically at Sakura as she glared intensely at nothing in particular.

Bright neon lights that flashed every corner of the room revealed her striking pink hair, all tangled and fuzzy. Her face was smudged here and there with dust, and she was clad in pitch-black top and long pants that hid her physical features. Ino's thin lips curved into a frown. _Wasn't Sakura suppose to be returning from a month long mission? She should be resting, not drinking!_

"Something strong, now, "she commanded the bartender, who narrowed his eyes, disapproving of her attitude but complied without a word. After all, he didn't want to mess with a kunoichi- let alone an ANBU. When the drink was presented, she engulfed the liquid within seconds and slammed the empty mug down.

"More," she commanded once again.

Tente, Ino and Hinata exchanged glances as Sakura consumed another mug. The sight taking in front of them was quite unusual. Sakura was a medic, and she was against drinking and smoking. She did drink sometimes at formal occasions, but this was a different case. The same thought was on all three's mind- _This was NOT good- it had to be something disastrous to piss Sakura off THIS much._ After moments of silence, Ino concluded that she needed to be the one to talk first.

"Hey, Sakura, are you okay?" she inquired, worry evident in her blue orbs. "A bad mission? You're not even out of your ANBU uniform yet, and-"

"I'm NOT okay," Sakura half grumbled and muttered, "I hate him, I HATE HIM, I _HATE_** HIM.**" Her head was facing down, pink strands covering her face. The shadow hid her flushed face, but her bright emerald eyes sparkled from within the darkness.

"Who, Sakura?" Tenten asked impatiently.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The said girl spat maliciously.

_Ah, _her friends thought. Uchiha Sasuke. The sole survivor of the Uchiha Massacre, and now the last remaining of the clan. The traitor and former missing nin. An avenger. The hero who discarded of several S-rank criminals, including Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi and members of Akatsuki. The ANBU captain. Village heartthrob. There were so many ways to describe him. And to Sakura- he was her teammate, her childhood crush, her first love, and the culprit of her broken heart.

Ino was speechless. She could only let out a troubled sigh. _Shit, this isn't good_, she thought. Ever since the Uchiha was dragged back to Konoha 4 years ago, he had been his normal self- except that he was being a major jerk to Sakura. This instantly changed Sakura's mind about how she missed her oh-so-brave-Sasuke-kun. Since he was on probation, she just ignored him- but when he was free after two years, the situation worsened.

"I can't believe him," Sakura started, still facing downward, "I saved his sorry butt out there! That bastard," she tilted her head back to gulf down the alcohol and slammed the mug on the table. A crack was heard, and the mug shattered in million pieces. The bartender scowled disapprovingly, but Sakura didn't mind.

"During mission, look, I was fighting a bunch of nin, and LET ME TELL YOU, I was doing JUST _FINE_ on my own, taking them down, then the Uchiha suddenly interferes, and knocks down _MY_ opponents!! _I _was going to get them!! Then what does he say? "Pathetic, Sakura, you're pathetic…you should know that medics shouldn't fight incase team members get injured. You're still weak,"" Sakura said, imitating Sasuke in a low voice, "_he's_ the one that interfered!!"

"Dunno…maybe he was worried?" Tenten commented sarcastically.

"Y, yeah, Sakura-san! M, maybe Uchiha-san was just w, worried about you!" Hinata stuttered out.

Sakura snorted and glared at Tenten.

"Nice one, Tenten. And Hina-chan?" she scoffed, "thanks for the idea, but the day Uchiha starts caring is the day the world explodes. Look, do I still look like a stupid 12- year old? I don't think so! I can take care of myself, and I can kick his ass if I wanted to, and I've got every _damn_ right to be furious about this."

"Well said, well said," Tenten said, taking a sip of her drink. "Neji thought of me as weak at first, also…" she chuckled, "should've seen the look on his face when I used my twin-dragon on him."

"That I agree with, Sakura…I mean, he's been such a bastard to you ever since he came back!! Damn, girl, you can just forget 'bout your usual ms. Nicey-nice attitude for once and let it all out!"

Sakura smirked, satisfied by her friends' agreement, and flipped her short hair behind her ears. She crossed her legs and leaned towards her friends. Her sluggish movements indicated that the drinks were starting to take their affects on her.

"'K, so then, later in the mission, I even _healed_ him 'cause the moron got reckless again…couple of broken bones…and he didn't even thank me! I just saved him a month in the hospital!" her delicate brows knitted.

"At least I _KNOW _HOW to mend bones, not break every piece of your own! Damn, if it wasn't for me being in his team, he would've _died_ a long time ago! The only reason I'm _in_ his team is 'cause I'm the best medic, and he gets ruthless too often…"

The three friends nodded in understanding.

"That fucking heartless bastard…always calling me _pathetic, _always _expecting_ me to be _WEAK_!!! He _refuses _to recognize me!" she slurred.

"Damn, than he has missed out a lot…" Ino said smirking, "that was 'bout 6 years ago…"

"Damn right! What am I, a flower? So _frail and assailable _that it always need to be protected? Well, SCREW.THAT.SHIT." she emphasized every word, overtaken by her anger. What she didn't notice is her friends' smirks slowly disappearing as Ino's eyes widened a bit, looking towards the entance. She tapped Sakura's shoulders, indicating her to stop, but Sakura ignored it.

"I'm not fucking 12 anymore! I've improved, and damn, that Uchiha has never been up to any good! He shouldn't have returned in the first place…he doesn't deserve Konoha! He doesn't deserve a nice home!! Can't believe I even used to like him, let alone think I _loved_ him!!"

"Er, Sakura…you should sto- "

"That stupid, egoistic, stuck up, despicable, arrogant bastard!" Sakura finished and gulped down the rest of the liquid. She looked forward to see her friends gaping at something. She frowned. Weren't they agreeing with her? Weren't they smirking just a while ago? What happened to-

"You hate me now, eh?" a low, commanding voice rang, and time seemed to freeze for Sakura. She knew this voice _too_ well.

"So, what did you say about me, _Haruno_?" the voice asked mockingly.

Sakura gulped, and slowly started to turn around. _Please don't be him, it can't be, please don' be-_ but Kami-sama was not on her side this time.

When Sakura turned, she bit her lip. There, leaning against the wall, was _the _all-mighty _Uchiha Sasuke_, clad in his ANBU uniform.

_Aw shit,,_ she thought. Today was definitely _NOT_ a good day.

So she did the first thing she could think of. Her lips turned up into a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Yes, Sasuke-_kun?_" she purred, her eyes half-lidded.

Surprisingly, Sasuke smirked.

"Just saying, I hate you too, Sakura-_chan,_"

And the smile dropped.

* * *

-big, nervous smile- so what'd you guys think?

Kill? Keep? Delete? Continue? Please _review_ to tell me!! If you acutally want me to continue, I'm probably not going to unless I get at least over 15 reviews or so...

If you didn't like the story, srry for wasting your time, go read better stuff, and don't even bother wasting your time giving me a flame...though _constructive criticism_ would help a lot :)

If you're a SasuSaku fan, and didn't like _this _particular story, and you're more up for humor, go read my other stories, "**Which one's my future self?"** and "**Video Camera"**...they're one-shots, so shouldn't take a lot of your time

If you're a SasuSaku fan, _and_ acutally liked this story, please review, so I know to keep on updating, and feel free to check out my one-shots :) I would really appreciate it

So, whether you've enjoyed or not, thank you for taking your time and reading this fic!!!

-REVIEW or I'll send Kabuto the Homo after you!! MWAHAHAHA!!!- lol, j/k j/k, though I _juuuuust _might..who knows


	2. Uchiha VS Drunken Medic

**A/N**: Finally! An update!! Okay, so I finally found an adaptor lying about in the house, and immediately used it...so yeah, on mum's laptop once again, 'cause my laptop's having trouble w/ internet...T.T a/wys, hope you guys like the chapter!!

**Disclaimor:** I DO NOT own Naruto..I'm a **Korean **_GIRL_, thank you very much, not a Japanese man with amazing art skilz...and dang it, he's delaying the ItaVSSasu battle!! I wanna know who wins!!! (if I did own Naruto, Sasuke would beat the crap out of his so-called brother, and come back 2 Konoha 2 "revive" his clan w/ Saku-chanXD) 

**Warning**: Some use of "inappropriate language"..as in SWEARING and CUSSING, kiddies!! So if you think you're 2 young 4 this, why don't you go read a K-rated fic...something a bit "mild"..lol

also, I am Korean, not American, and I rarely edit my work, so expect some incorrect word uses, as well as grammer and spelling mistakes..and my vocabulary only goes so far, so if you think my writing's simple, why don't you replace the "simple" words with "complex" words yourself as you read?

Now on with the story!!!

* * *

_When Sakura turned, she bit her lip. There, leaning against the wall, was the all-mighty Uchiha Sasuke, clad in his ANBU uniform. _

_Aw shit, she thought. Today was definitely NOT a good day._

_So she did the first thing she could think of. Her lips turned up into a sickeningly sweet smile._

_"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" she purred, her eyes half-lidded._

_Surprisingly, Sasuke smirked._

_"Just saying, I hate you too, Sakura-chan,"_

_And the smile dropped._

Sakura's sweetness had disappeared in a second, now replaced by a malicious frown. She bit her lower lip slightly, her emerald orbs suddenly hard and full of abomination. _Fuck it, _Sakura thought, _If he thinks that I'm going to back down now, he is so wrong._

She set her back straight, crossed her arms tightly in front of her chest, and lifted her head proudly to directly confront the Uchiha.

"I hate you," she growled out lowly, an angry lioness warning her prey.

Sasuke's smirk did not fade, but only widen in amusement due to her reactions. Though this was not the first time he had angered her, she seemed greatly affected by the liquor and her behavior was quite childish. Normally, she would have shrugged it off or have attempted to slap or punch him in the face. _Attempted to._ He always caught her wrist before the impact came, and she would storm off, face fully flushed.

Seeing that this wasn't the usual mundane routine, Sasuke decided to observe the "aftermath" of numerous mugs of liquor. After all, he didn't have anything fruitful or productive to do that night.

"Ah, I already gave you my response, Sakura-_chan._" He replied mockingly.

Sakura's eyes narrowed further. But this time, she brought out her lower lip and pouted sullenly at him.

"You're no nice, Sasuke-_Kun._ It wouldn't hurt to repeat _your_ answer for _me,_ now, would it?" she said, tilting her head slightly and placing her index finger on her smooth, right cheek.

"Yes, it would. Especially for you," came the blunt answer.

The pout instantly changed into an intense glower. Sakura was seething with ire.

_Oh shit, _Ino thought, alarmed. She knew that Sakura wouldn't last longer. At the rate the Uchiha was provoking her, she was going to explode anytime now. And hell, Sakura was _terrifying _when she was this furious.

"You're being quite mean today," she spat.

Sasuke let out a deep chuckle. If that was what she called a glare, and it was an endeavour to intimidate him, she was not even close.

"And you're being quite childish today." He paused succinctly, then smirked. "No, wait. You always were."

As lame as the insult was, it was the last straw for Haruno Sakura. She refused to let the Uchiha disparage her and just let it slide.

"Nnnrrggg!!" she growled in frustration.

"My god, you egoistic bastard! You are such a pain in the ass, Uchiha!" she screamed.

"Aw, what happened to "my dear Sasuke-kun"?" He inquired, exacerbating the situation.

"He's dead, Uchiha!" Sakura's already flushed face was shaded with darker hues of scarlet, "He died when he decided to betray his stupid village and go run off with a fucking pedophile so he can slaughter his damn pathetic so-called brother!"

"Then what happened to your "Love you with all my heart" thing? Thought you loved your _Sasuke-kun_ so _dearly_," Sasuke couldn't help but add.

"You fucking jackass!" Sakura roared.

Ino warily rose from her seat. She _had_ to arbitrate this before the whole bar ended up in a tumult, and be annihilated by an enraged kunoichi. She knew something like this was going to happen by the ominous feeling she got the moment Sasuke appeared.

The blonde cautiously approached Sakura, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. The kunoichi swiveled her head around immediately, but after seeing that it was Ino, merely ignored her and continued her heated quarrel with Sasuke.

Ino turned to Tenten and Hinata desperately for help, but the two friends sat turned away from the scene, acting disingenuous about the conflict. The blonde just stood helplessly, unable to stop the pink-haired girl's rage.

"I hate you, I HATE YOU, I _HATE YOU!_" Sakura shrieked into Sasuke's ears.

"Yes, I think that's quite clear by now, _Haruno_, and I've-"

_SLAP._

The next thing Sasuke knew, he could feel the cool, tiled floor against his face, and his left cheek stung badly. Pungent odor of spilled liquors stunk in his nostrils, and he immediately pushed himself into a sitting position. He instinctively touched his cheek that had been victimized by Sakura's monstrous strength, but withdrew his hand right away and winced in pain.

_Shit, that hurt, _Sasuke thoughtno fuming himself. Sakura had taken the joke too far, and-

His trail of thought broke off when his eyes met Sakura's. Being an ANBU, he knew how to tell lies from truths- and he could clearly see that this was not a simple jest. Aside from her behavior, Sakura had meant her _words_; the insults had not been made only due to her drunkenness.

But honestly, Sasuke didn't care- it was _her_ fault that she was weaker than he, and his comments were realistic. _Right? …No._ His mind answered, but his obstinacy ignored this. Instead of pondering farther about the subject, he swiftly lifted himself and stood directly in front of Sakura.

Sasuke towered over Sakura due to his height, and her chin was angled up to face him. Sasuke's smirk was now out of sight, but a pair of pursed lips replaced it. He leaned forwards slightly so that his breath was barely tickling Sakura's ear.

"That hurt, Sakura-_chan,_" he whispered warningly, "and you're going to pay for that later."

Sakura didn't respond right away, but simply raised a brow.

"It was _suppose_ to hurt, moron," she replied matter-of-factly.

Both of their glares intensified. Their silent battle emitted a disturbing, dark aura that made others around them uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Sakura felt a light tap on her right shoulder. She shut her eyes tight in frustration, and turned her head slightly. _Who dares to interfere with my battle?_

"What?" she growled out.

"Sakura-chan…" a drunken voice slurred.

Sakura cracked open an eye to find the Inuzuka boy smirking at her seductively.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, completely oblivious to the situation before him.

Sakura was about to punch Kiba miles away for breaking the tension into an awkward one, but then an idea popped into her mind. Something to annoy the Uchiha further.

"Why, of course, Kiba-kun!" she fake squealed, "I'd love to!"

She turned to Sasuke, and gave him a last glare before taking Kiba's hand and smiling.

As the pair walked away, Sasuke only stared. He could tell that the Inuzuka had complimented Sakura for she was smiling brighter. _Correction. Faking to smile brighter._

"I'm flattered, Kiba-kun! You're so nice," he overheard her say.

Sakura stuck her tongue out in Sasuk's direction before disappearing from his view.

"That was some fight, Uchiha," Tenten joked from the side, "thought Uchihas were geniuses…guess they're not so good at insulting."

Then she and Ino burst into laughter, while Hinata sat between the two, looking troubled. Noticing that Sasuke wasn't reacting, Ino decided to tease him.

"Was Tenten's words so _true_ that you lost _your_ words?" she said, "oh, wait, never mind…you don't know how to insult anyways!"

Ino knew this was a bold move, for the Uchiha could even kill her if he wanted to.But hell, this was funny, there were no fuming Sakuras around, and she was not going to lose her once-in-a-life chance to mock the oh-so-great Uchiha Sasuke.

But Sasuke was not paying a bit of attention to Ino and Tenten's teases, for he was too preoccupied with stopping his fists from trembling. He wasn't greatly affected by Sakura's insults- he got them daily anyways. But what irritated him was the dog boy. It didn't seem _right_ for Sakura to be walking hand-in-hand with that mutt.

"U, Uchiha-san…are you-"

Hinata's worried voice started, but Sasuke stomped away before she could finish.

"Geez, what's up with him?" Tenten shrugged.

* * *

As soon as Sasuke stepped out of the club entrance, he slammed his fist forcefully against a nearby wall. Then he left the scene before a clamor would break out. Jumping mindlessly from roof to another, he ended up in his usual training grounds. 

_Damn, _he thought. What the hell was wrong? He felt something boiling inside him, and he had a great urge to break- no, _destroy and annihilate_ until only some debris remained, and he knew it was not going to go away anytime soon. _Might as well get started_. He started bashing trees and started his normal "training".

_That stupid, stupid, childish girl,_ he cursed, burning down a tree, _going off with the mutt like that- what is she thinking?_ But then again, if that was the case, why was _he_ wondering about this?

Sasuke growled, landing a punch on the practice figure. Vexed by himself, he continued his "midnight training routine" without another word.

* * *

Yes...long, long chapter...(at least longer than the first..XD), k, I hope you still enjoyed it, though!! 

If you didn't like the story, don't bother flaming...it's not worth your time typing it, nor my time reading it..

If you did like the story, don't be shy to click the li'l gray button on the bottom and review!! I'd really appreciate it, you know...and I need to know your opinions about the story so I can continue, k? Alerts and fav. authors are also flattering, but reviews encourage me a lot, also:)

**A big THANK YOU and COOKIE to those who reviewed:**

_**RaiMidori, Cloudy Skies 77, PicturedArtist, DarknessFlameWolf, angel, Defiant-Crayon, lunar-tabby, Tenshihana- -Unyield Wish, lolnleyrynell5, DreamsofAnime, Amanda, DJ HiHi Kimiko, princess, WingsRider, Dark Shining Light, UnknownPersonX, les-liaisons-dangereuses, eskeflowne, SakuraUchiha4, Kakiro19, bri, and TightropeDancing**_

Thank you so much for reviewing!!

I won't be updating until I actually get a decent amount of reviews, meaning up to 40 or so...if that doesn't happen within a month or so, then I'll update :)

REVIEW or I'll send DRUNKEN JIRAIYA AFTER YOU!!! (meaning he'll try to rape you r smthng...lol, j/k j/k)


	3. Questions and Answers

**A/N:** Hi, people!! I'm sooooo sorry that I have not update for so long T.T I've been very busy, and li'l one-shot inspirations got in my way of finishing this chapter- and it was a hard point in the plot, too…T.T

So I wrote it extra-long for the wait!! Believe me, it's the longest chapter yet :)

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT own Naruto…I'm a **Korean** _GIRL_, thank you very much, not a Japanese guy with an amazingly creative mind that allows him to draw something as great as Naruto…(the moment you see Sasuke kissing Sakura "passionately" within the next 10 chapters is when you'll realize that TK (that's my name) owns Naruto…which will sadly, never happen.. )

I do own the plot, though!!!

**Warnings: **Lotsa "vulgar, inappropriate language" included…aw, who am I kidding? Swearing involved, kiddies!! It's a T-rated! So if you think you're too young, they have the back button on internet for a purpose, you know…XD

A bit of suggestive language and idea towards the end…juuuuuuust a bit :)

**I am NOT American!!! So expect some…er, I guess lots of grammar or spelling mistakes…:) (hey, but I DID self-edit and look back a couple of times!!! It's just that self-edit does not work all the time….T.T)**

* * *

**Last time on Loathing**

_Damn, he thought. What the hell was wrong? He felt something boiling inside him, and he had a great urge to break- no, destroy and annihilate until only some debris remained, and he knew it was not going to go away anytime soon. Might as well get started. He started bashing trees and started his normal "training"._

_That stupid, stupid, childish girl, he cursed, burning down a tree, going off with the mutt like that- what is she thinking? But then again, if that was the case, why was he wondering about this?_

_Sasuke growled, landing a punch on the practice figure. Vexed by himself, he continued his "midnight training routine" without another word._

**xXxxXxxxXxxxxX ****Chapter 3: Questions and Answers ****XxxxxXxxxXxxXx**

"_Oh, Sasuke-kun-…"_

_She called out as she slowly, and sensually sauntered towards him. Her feet were barely brushing against the floor. She stared at him with heavy-lidded eyes, her body clad in nothing but a-_

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed as his eyes snapped open.

His breathing was heavy and episodic, and his body felt warmer than usual. _Not another dream like this…_he thought. An annoyed sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he let his boy relax. His head hung down, only to come face to face with a dirt-covered ground with bent grasses here and there.

_What the-_he thought as he raised a brow in question, as he looked around. Instead of dark walls of his room he expected, he was greeted with a vast, destroyed field in front of him with numerous trees surrounding the area.

Then the night before suddenly flashed before his mind- Sakura yelling- getting punched in the face- the mutt coming to them- getting incredibly angry-running to the training field.

_So I must have fallen asleep while taking a break during training, _Sasuke thought. Remembering his victimized jaw, he brought his callous hand to touch it. _Shit,_ he winced as he rubbed the jaw carefully. He would make her apologize and heal it later.

Honestly, he didn't think Sakura would actually punch him- and actually succeed, too. He would have usually caught her wrist effortlessly- _I was just off guard because she was drunk, _he concluded, his pride refusing to admit that his "weak" teammate had managed to land an attack on him.

He made a mental note to get her back for that. _I said she was going to pay_, he inwardly smirked.

As for the Inuzuka issue- Sasuke would ignore that. He did not rush out of the bar because he was angry at the mutt, but because his Uchiha pride had been insulted the moment somebody dared to turn him down from an argument. _Sakura_ to be exact, that is. The stupid, stupid and annoying girl had dared to ignore him, _the Uchiha Sasuke_, to latch herself upon the other boy's arm.

Sasuke could tell that she had faked squealed and had on a happy façade on purpose, and that disgusted him. He knew that Sakura's stuck-out tongue had been directed to mock and provoke him, also.

Sasuke snorted. _Did she seriously think that __that__ would get me angry or something?_ To him, Sakura's actions from the other night were plain pointless, absurd- he didn't even understand what kind of emotion she was trying provoke, either.

His reactions- or the lack of- and his thoughts from yesterday was now cleared and reasoned. Being an Uchiha, he needed his actions, his thought, his everything- to be sensible and well-explained. Also knowing Naruto, once _he_ found out, he would probably get the wrong idea, and Sasuke needed practical reasoning to use against the blonde.

Now the dream issue, though, was a completely different subject matter. Sasuke unconsciously gulped as he recalled the events from his slumber.

It wasn't the first time Sakura had hosted one of his dreams. He had had numerous "inappropriate" dreams about her when he was around 15, still with Orochimaru. But that was it, and this was the first time ever since.

Sasuke closed his eyes, going into a pensive state. To him, the pink-haired kunoichi felt more annoying then ever, vexing him and causing him to contemplate about uncomfortable topics even when she was not around.

_Last night,_ he concluded, _the dream was because I had an argument with her last night- at a bar, too._

With that, he lifted his right hand and slowly ran it through his messy, midnight hair. He could feel that his face was still warm, and his body was sticky due to sweat.

_Might as well head home, _he thought,_ I need a shower_.

He swiftly lifted himself from the ground, and headed towards his apartment- _where in his dreams, Sakura was waiting for him, clad in a thin, strapless-_

_Fuck_, he thought. He would need a _cold_ shower.

**xXxxXxxxXxxxxX Loathing XxxxxXxxxXxxXx**

The sun had already set in the village of Konoha, but the night was only starting for many. Clud _Intoxicated_- a club made specially only for ninjas- was starting to fill up with many jounins, ANBU's, or even old Chuunins.

The steady beat of music penetrated the chatter as people escaped from reality, drowned themselves in alcohol and got lost in the music.

In the corner secluded from the excitement, sat Haruno Sakura on a tall, wooden bar stool, feeling frustrated. She slammed down her god-know-how-many-she-had-already-drunken-that-night mug, not creating a crack, both on the mug and on the bar table.

The same bartender scowled, clearly angry since she had been destroying all the mugs she drank out of. But he knew better not to mess with her. He had witnessed the punch she landed on the Uchiha the other night, and he didn't wish to be her next victim.

As for Sakura, she honestly did not care what the bartender thought or how the others reacted for kami-sama's sake. Tomorrow was her day off, so it would be alright to get herself drunk and wake up late due to hangover.

The others, though, her friends to be exact- were still working, some away on missions and some stuck doing paperwork. She had already turned down numerous guys, for they were strangers she did not want to get mixed up with.

Therefore Sakura was sitting by herself, drinking away her stress and ire about yesterday.

_That damn Uchiha,_ she thought, remembering the delightful argument from the other night. It was a total disaster for her- though the angry scowl on his face when she attached herself upon Kiba's arm was priceless- everything went downhill from there.

Kiba was dumber than she thought he was- and the fact that he was drunk did not help at all. As she danced with him for a while _against her will_, _though she DID accept_, Kiba had whispered cheesy and lame pick-up lines in her ear. It took her a lot of self-control to _not_ snap at him, punch him, or knee him and simply walk away.

Then when the tempo got faster, the stupid Inuzuka had found that he couldn't hold his liquor anymore- and had decided to throw up. _On her dress._ Luckily, she had managed to dodge from a direct impact, but was utterly disgusted. After that, Kiba was taken home by Shino, for Hinata was busy with Naruto, and she herself stormed out of the club.

The Uchiha had not shown as much reaction as she wished he would have, and she had only gotten a terrible night and a ruined dress as the result. She was not happy.

Sakura gestured the bartender for another mug as she wiped a trail of liquor trickled down her chin.

Out of pure candor, Sakura really did not understand _why_ the Uchiha hated her so much. Why he tortured, loathed, abominated, damaged and derided her, along every nuance of the words "hate" and "mock".

She did not understand what she had done to deserve this, either. Sasuke insulted her and condescended every day, every freaking moment of her life.

She thought back at how stupid she used to be when she was 12, and laughed at her own idiosyncrasy from the past. Her younger self had been so ignorant, so fragile and weak- she had always wished for her _dear Sasuke-kun, _her knight in shining armor to come rescue her, to come back to Konoha- back to _her._

_Well, he came back, _she chuckled, comparing reality with her past fantasy.

Sakura picked up the next mug and tilted her head back to devour it, when she felt a hand gently touch her right shoulder.

"_What?!_" she growled, not happy somebody had disrupted her pensive state.

When she swiveled her head after setting the mug down, her eyes met endless abyss of onyx.

_Well, well, speak of the devil, _she thought.

"How many mugs have you drunken?" he slurred.

Sakura was startled- _what kind of question was that?! _But even in her drowsy state, she could tell that Sasuke looked a bit tipsy as well.

"Oh wow, he speaks! Everybody, the _great, egoistic __Uchiha Sasuke_ speaks!" she giggled, letting the alcohol take its affect on her.

"You're drunk," he stated, clearly not amused, giving her the you-are-pathetic- look.

"And so are you. Hell, why do you care anyways?" she huffed as she brought the cup up to her lips once again.

He did not respond. Instead, he asked something else.

"Did you mean it? From yesterday?"

That made her choke on her drink. She coughed a bit, and then looked at Sasuke straight in the eye.

She had known that he was blunt- but these questions were too straight-forward and…unexpected. Something an Uchiha would not typically ask. Heck, she wasn't even sure if this was Sasuke now.

"Who are you and what have you done with Uchiha Sasuke?!" she immediately accused.

"Don't question my identity, Sakura," he sighed, "you are annoying."

_HOW DARE HE-_

"If you _are_ Sasuke, then I've got every damn reason to _be annoying_You _enjoy_ mocking me, don't you? You _enjoy_ seeing me break down, don't you? God, WHY do you HATE me SO MUCH!! WHY do you-"

"I don't hate you,"

_Huh?_

"Did you just say-"

"I never said I hated you…just annoying," he sighed once again, exasperated.

Sakura froze for a moment, taking in his statement. Then, her lips curled into a sickeningly sweet, wicked smile, much like from the other night- except this one held mischief behind it.

"So you liiiiiiike me, hm?" she drawled, teasingly.

"No." he responded nonchalantly.

"Oh, so you loooooooooove me," she sang, "and you wanna-"

"No," he cut her off, "I just don't hate you."

_Hm…interesting…_Sakura thought as she placed a finger on her chin and an arm across her chest into a thinking pose.

"Now tell me something, Sasuke…" she started, "if you don't like me, prove it."

He remained silent, but only raised a brow in response.

"Kiss me," Sakura finished.

Sasuke's expression did not falter for even a split second, but he was clearly not fond of Sakura's statement.

"If you don't like me…then you will be able to kiss me, and still not care," she elaborated, as she wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Sakura…" he growled warningly.

"Aw, li'l Sasu-chan's afraid of a little kiss?" she teased.

"Stop," he said, glaring.

Sakura inwardly giggled at this- she was having so much fun! It was priceless seeing the Uchiha like this- being provoked by _her, _not _him_ teasing _her._ She would definitely take advantage of this, and make him suffer the same embarrassment and anger he had made her feel all the time.

"You know you want to, Sasuke-_kun,_" she whispered, "come on, don't deny it."

Sasuke only responded by turning to face the other way, showing Sakura his back. She frowned- he would NOT ignore her this time.

Sakura grabbed the collar of his shirt, and tugged at it, making him turn back to face her.

"Sakura, I-"

But his sentence was left unsaid, for Sakura's lips were already on his, as she wrapped the other arm around his neck as well.

Sasuke wanted to pull back- but instead he wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist instinctively and started kissing back with equal pressure.

Minutes later, they broke apart for their need of oxygen.

"Sakura..." Sasuke started, gasping for breath.

He could not continue though, for he lost his words due to the kiss- _and his mind was too preoccupied with observing that glossy, plump lips to find his "lost words"._

"Shh..."Sakura hushed, placing an index finger upon his mouth.

The two stared at each other intensly for a moment- then the gap between them was closed once again. _But she did not remember moving her head._

Sakura did not know how it happened- but the next thing she knew, they were out of the club. She heard him fumble with his keys and when she next blinked, he was kicking the door open.

Funny thing, she didn't remember breaking apart from him at all during all these events- how did he manage?

But that was the last question in mind, as her back came in contact with soft, comfortable surface- maybe a bed.

Then she let her sanity give in to her urges, and set her senses run wild for the rest of the night.

**xXxxXxxxXxxxxX End of Chapter 3 XxxxxXxxxXxxXx

* * *

**

**A/N: **0o;;; TK's a good, good, innocent girl. TK's not a pervert. So TK no write lemon and keep this story T-rated!!!

Okay, yes, the end was a bit "messy", and it was because I had to avoid details, so this will stay a T…but I WILL NOT turn this into a M-rated…so you no hate TK!! If you _want _a lemon in there badly, heck write it for yourself…Once again, sorry for the late update…it was just so hard writing this!! If you are starting to NOT like the plot, please don't hate me, it's gonna turn out better…hopefully. And I apologize if this chapter was boring, too…T.T

**Clarifications:** Yes, Sasuke was tipsy, and was also drunk at the last part…and everything else will be cleared up in the next chapter, so who knows whether he knew what he was doing or not until then…:)

If you didn't like the story, don't flame..it's not worth my time reading, or your time typing…

Guys, the alerts and the favorites are very flattering- and I'm so grateful!! So please, please review if you enjoyed the story- it's what drives me to write…(yes, I'm shameless to admit that I enjoy reviews..XD)

And feel free to(I will not beg) check out my other stories, also- just started a bittersweet SasuSaku one-shot collection called **Coffees and Dark Chocolate**.

**A biiiiig thank you and a GIANT COOKIE to those who reviewed for chpt 2!!**

**PrincessLazyPants,**(ahh, here's your update, don't send Tsunade after me!! XP)**TightropeDancing**(thanks-lol, love the new name)**, neko-chan118, Demon-Twins-Ichigo-Makuri, reader713, Haliz, charmedluver101, eskeflowne**(yup, the relationship's gonna get interesting)**, LitoKyomi**(that's why fanfic exists, no?lol)**, WingsRider, Queenserenity9889, Mittelan, Laflaga**(Nuu! Here's the update, dn't kill me!! XD)**, D3m0n.OF.B3ijin, black and beautiful**

**RaiMidori: **Thank you for your review- it was very delightful to read. :) Yes, my adjective use might not have been so great this time…the excuse is quite complicated. XD I actually did read the whole story out loud to myself this time, and I actually caught some mistakes…you might have still found some, though, because I might have rushed through…:)

-**REVIEW or I'll send DRUNKEN SAKURA PISSED OFF 'CAUSE OF SASUKE AFTER YOU!!!**(remember, she creates craters…with like, three fingers, not even a whole fist…XD)


	4. Unpleasant Morning

**A/N: **HI!!! Yay, winter break!!! Yet I have about five more frigg'n essays to write!! T.T I'm sorry I haven't been updating unlike all those other authors who are updating like, three chapters everyday…But still, I updated!!! (Yes, I have been extremely busy, and still is…poor me…T.T)

Happy '08!!!

**Disclaimer: **I'm a KOREAN _**GIRL, **_thank you very much, not a Japanese guy…so go figure. (I was hoping Santa would get me Naru-chan for Christmas…but nooooo, he DIDN'T!! me sad..XD)

**Warnings:** Yes, there are usage of "inappropriate vulgar language" in here…meaning SWEARING, kiddies!! So no read if you think you're too young or something…seriously. They have this wonderful thing called BACK BUTTON.

I'm NOT American, so expect _some_ (because Santa didn't give me a beta reader for Christmas either) grammar and spelling mistakes…

Okie, supa-long chapter..NOT!

**The bottom half is an appreciation one-shot :D**

**READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE ON THE BOTTOM EVEN IF YOU DON'T READ THE STORY!!!**

* * *

**Last time on Loathing:**

_Sakura did not know how it happened- but the next thing she knew, they were out of the club. She heard him fumble with his keys and when she next blinked, he was kicking the door open._

_Funny thing, she didn't remember breaking apart from him at all during all these events- how did he manage?_

_But that was the last question in mind, as her back came in contact with soft, comfortable surface- maybe a bed._

_Then she let her sanity give in to her urges, and set her senses free for the rest of the night.

* * *

_

**-.--..---…Chapter 4: Unpleasant Morning…---..--.-**

Haruno Sakura was (once again) NOT _HAPPY._

She stormed through the streets, her arms straight down and unmoving with her fists clenched. Her unkempt short hair danced frantically due to her speed, and dark aura emitted from her presence.

As she passed, all villagers backed away from her path, and stuck themselves to the nearest wall hoping to save themselves. Some even ran inside out of fear.

Though Sakura was called "Konoha's blossom" eminent for her beauty, dexterity and compassion, she was also infamous for her violent temper.

The villagers had witnessed the unpleasant events and injuries Naruto had gone through due to the kunoichi ("That poor, poor boy," a nurse once said to her friends, "he lets his mouth get the best of him, and end up in the hospital almost everyday. Yet he's healthy and cheerful as ever. I pity him.")

and they certainly did _not_ wish to find out the limit of pain a human being could handle without dying.

(Because when Sakura heard what the nurse had said, she snorted. "He should be grateful- I don't bother using chakra when I beat him up. I want to keep him alive, you know." That sent the nurses scurrying away.).

Sakura was currently in a I-_hate-_the-him-I'm-going-to-beat-the-living-shit-out-of-him-the-heal-him-and-do-it-again-and-make-him-wish-he-was-dead mood.

She clenched her teeth forcefully behind her thin lips to retain from murmuring her thoughts out loud- she at least wanted to keep her reputation of being _sane_ and _intelligent_, no matter _how indignant _she was.

Sakura's narrowed eyes were focused straight ahead to Ichiraku's, and didn't give side glances her surroundings.

Don't get her wrong, she was certainly _not_ oblivious of the trepidation and apprehension she was causing amongst the villagers- it was just that she had priorities when it came to thoughts.

She had more important matters to contemplate about- like _Uchiha Sasuke._

_Argh_, Sakura spat, disturbed by the mere _mention_ of that despicable name. _**Especially after this morning's incident, that is.**_

_That stupid, stupid, inconsiderate, insensitive __**bastard!**_her mind screamed, _how could he leave me like __**that**__ after what __**he has done last night?!**_

**.-..--…---…--..-.**

**Flashback**

**Earlier this morning:**

"_Hm…"Sakura groaned as light filled the room._

_She cracked her eye open to meet a black ceiling, and turned to her side to spot an electronic clock that read, "10:34"._

_Sakura rolled her body over and buried her face into the pillow, taking in its scent._

'_hm…shampoo…' she thought, 'this bed is so comfortable…and the black sheets are-'_

"_WHAT?!" Sakura screamed as she immediately sat up, her eyes widened._

_This was NOT her room- her room was pink, and so were her sheets._

'_Okay…don't panic, Sakura, don't panic,' she told herself, 'just think…what happened last night?'_

_Sakura closed her eyes and meditated, frustrated that she didn't know where she was, let alone remember __**what**__ had led her into this situation._

_A soft breeze blew through the open window, and tickled Sakura's skin. She shuddered at the chill, wondering __**why**__ it felt so cold even in her night wear._

'_Wait,' Sakura froze. She looked down on herself, and-_

"_OH MY GOD, WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CLOTHES?" she shouted._

_Then the previous night came back to her, crystal clear-his lips on hers-his body against hers- and the fact that she __**enjoyed it. **__(And, in a sense, initialed it too.)_

"_Damn it, damn it, what the fuck am I going to do? I did __**it**__ with __**him?!**__" Sakura fumed, her hands gripping her head and swearing out loud._

'_Is he still here?' The bed she was in was empty, and she looked around the room frantically to find a piece of folded paper that read __**"Sakura"**__, laying innocently on the bedside drawer._

_Sakura quickly reached for the note, and a key fell from within as she picked it up._

_It read:_

_**Sakura,**_

_**If you have not figured yet, you are at my apartment. Do not freak out. Nothing happened between us, and whatever did happen was not intentional, and you will not say a word about it. **_

_**I understand that you had consumed alcohol, and your thoughts were hazy, so I will forgive and overlook your actions.**_

_**I am leaving my extra key here. Make sure you lock the door at your departure, and make sure no one sees you walking out of here.**_

_**Do not look for me, and return the keys if you come across me.**_

_**Do not give it to Naruto to hand me.**_

_**Sasuke**_

_Sakura __**calmly**__ tore the paper into shreds, and threw them into a nearby trashcan._

_Then, she grabbed the nearest pillow, buried her face, and shrieked._

_A scream rang through the whole apartment building._

**End Flashback**

**.-..--…---…--..-.**

Sakura bit her lips to retain from screaming out her anger. (Again and her throat was still throbbing from the earlier one- also she didn't want to add terror to the already frightened villagers.)

She could not believe just how _arrogant_ the asshole was.

He wrote as if _he_ had done nothing, and _she_ was the culprit of their incident!

_'I understand that your thoughts were hazy, so I will forgive and overlook your actions'? My ass! I don't __**want**__ his frigg'n forgiveness- I want apology!! _she thought,_ che, writing and acting all innocent like that- shit, wait 'til I find him- I'll make sure he'll be stuck in the hospital for MONTHS!!!_

Sakura then winced, and her right knee buckled for a split second.

_Can't believe he was my first, _she thought bitterly as she tried to gather her normal composure again.

_I was drunk, too…why did I go to the bar by myself again? Oh right, __**that**__ was because of him, too… _she sighed, _wish he had never come back…maybe Itachi should have won. Nope, nope, I don't want the psychotic weasel alive. Definitely no. But still-_

"Sa, Sakura-sama," a voice snapped Sakura out of her thought, and a presence hastily blocked her path.

"_What?"_ Sakura sneered, glaring at the nervous chuunin.

"Ts, Tsunade-sama requires y, your presence. Immediately," the boy stuttered out, not wishing to face Sakura's wrath.

"What for?" Sakura replied, wondering why her mentor would want her on her second day off.

"A mission,"

Sakura held her hand up and waved it carelessly.

"Got it. Dismissed."

"Hai," and the chuunin disappeared faster than normal.

Sakura headed for the Hokage's office, not in a bit amused or excited.

**.-..--…---…--..-.**

Sakura knocked on the wooden door.

"This is Haruno Sakura. I heard you called, shishou," she stated.

A creak of chair and shuffling sounds were heard from the room.

"Come in, your mission squad is already here," Tsunade said.

_Mission squad…oh my god, please don't be him, he __**can't**__**be**_ _there, don't be him, anyone __**but**__ him, _Sakura's mind pleaded.

When she opened the door, Sakura forced a smile.

And she knew, someone up there _really_ didn't like her.

**-.--..---…The End of Chapter 4…---..--.-

* * *

**

**A/N: **Heehee, a cliffy…XD Sorry for writing such a short chapter!! I'll make the next longer!!

Read the story below- it's a completely unrelated one-shot :D

**BONUS HOLIDAY GIFT FIC!!!

* * *

**

**.v..V…v….How to remove a Curse mark….v…V..v.**

**.v..V…V..v.**

Haruno Sakura was a 19-old girl with shoulder-length pink hair, and sparkling green eyes.

Though she was not tall, she was lean with a creamy, flawless skin (despite her profession as a ninja), was considered "beautiful" by many (she was often called "Konoha's Blossom"), and even had her very own (desperate) fanclub, consisting of majority of Konoha.

Not only that, but she was a respected and skilled medic and kunoichi, an ANBU, and she had close and trust-worthy friends.

Her life couldn't get any better- yet she currently felt miserable.

Why, you ask?

Because _Uchiha Sasuke_ thought she was a pathetic, crazy retard.

She didn't do anything wrong, really.

She might have tried rubbing an eraser on his neck, tried to burn him, but hey, she was only trying to help him!

Sakura sighed, leaning against her bed on her bedroom floor.

On her lap were a hand-size pink notepad, and a thin, hard-covered book that read **How to remove a cursed mark**.

She had already seen the dangers of the cursed mark Orochi-gay-maru(yes, she called him that) had given him, how it could even take over him; and that was what she was worried about. She wanted to get rid of the mark, so that Sasuke would be safe from giving into his hatred and his inner demons.

Pursing her lips, Sakura picked up her notepad and started flipping through it, where she had written down the plans from the book.

**Pg.1**

**Plan 1: Try erasing it with an eraser, just in case it's fake.**

Okay, so she was quite sure that the mark was REAL, but she DID try- just to make sure it _was._

**Attempt: In hospital bed.**

**Result: FAILED.**

**Reaction: Stared at me weirdly, avoided me for about a month.**

Sakura inwardly winced at the memory. It had not really been successful, and had not done her reputation any good.

_Flashback_

_Sasuke was now lying on the hospital bed, sleeping._

_He had been found unconscious just a couple of days ago, right outside the Konoha border._

_He had been brought immediately to the hospital, and Sakura had been assigned to heal him, since all the other nurses were likely (or at least try) to take advantage of the dark-haired Uchiha's state._

_Sakura gulped as she stared at the Uchiha, making sure he __was__ indeed asleep, then took out a white eraser from her pocket._

_Nervously, she approached, and when she was just about to rub it—_

_"Sakura, what are you doing with an eraser?"_

_The Uchiha had woken up._

_Sakura stepped backwards, tripping over her own foot, and landing on the ground._

_"It's, it's not an eraser! It's a…a…modified medicine of sort! Yeah!"_

_And with that, she sprinted out of the room to inform Tsunade of Sasuke's awakening._

_End Flashback_

_Smooth, Sakura, _she thought to herself at the memory.

Then she flipped to the next page.

**Pg 2:**

**Plan 2: Use duck tape. If he's really a man, he'll endure the pain!**

**Attempt: At his home, in the middle of the night.**

**Result: FAILED.**

**Reaction: First told me I was a stalker; didn't talk for another month.**

This plan had not gone as well as planned, either; but she _did_ enjoy the last part.

_Flashback_

_Sakura quietly opened the window, and stealthily crawled to his bedside._

_It had been three months since his return, and he was on probation/house arrest; whichever one fitted._

_She had reacquainted with him, and he had forgotten about the "eraser incident". Now here she was again, about to do something so stupid even Naruto would not ever dare to do._

_Sakura carefully lifted the cover and slid it down a bit, so she had access to where his cursed seal was. She took out a roll of duck tape from her pocket, cut off a piece and place it over his seal._

_As she reached to pull of the seal, though, she was suddenly grabbed by the wrist, and tugged down._

_She yelped, and moments later, found herself pinned down by a very furious Sasuke._

_Please be shirtless please be shirtless please be shirtless__, her mind screamed, and luckily, kami-sama was on her side today._

_On top of her was the one and only Uchiha Sasuke (though a bit pissed), growling only in baggy sweatpants._

_"What are you doing here?" he sneered._

_"Checking…on…you? Requested by Tsunade-sama…?" Sakura answered, unsure of what she was even saying._

_His grip loosened, and she quickly rushed out the window I came in from._

_Sakura was a very happy girl for the rest of the night, beside the fact that Uchiha Sasuke officially thought of her as a stalker._

_End Flashback_

Sakura was no longer a rabid, lovesick fangirl; she was now strong, mature and independent.

But she still savored the scene of Sasuke in his bedroom, very shirtless, with her fidgeting, and-

_Naughty, naughty Sakura. _She stopped her thoughts before they got _anywhere else._

Sakura once again flipped the page.

**Pg 3**

**Plan 3: Attempt to whack off with a fish.**

Sakura might have tried the first two stunts, but she was NOT that stupid.

_Seriously, whacking a frigg'n cursed seal with a __**fish**_

Whoever had made this book had some wild imagination.

**Pg 4**

**Plan 4: Burn off. Hey, I never said this wasn't going to hurt!**

True, it never really guaranteed the safety of the subject. So, as idiotic as it may sound, Sakura tried. _Unsuccessful, once again._

**Attempt: During a punishment/D-rank mission of helping out at the ramen shop**

**Result: FAILED.**

**Reaction: Stare at me like I grew two heads and I had gone psychotic, seemed very concerned for my mental state and others' physical well-beings, and made a bet with me.**

It had taken place seven months after his return, which was five months after the duck-tape-in-a-bedroom-with-a-shirtless-Sasuke incident.

Sakura had waited for a while until her next attempt with another plan, for she didn't want Sasuke too suspicious of her.

Sasuke was still on probation, so team seven was not allowed to go on regular missions yet- instead, they were given a D-rank mission to help out at the ramen shop.

Naruto had been _beyond_ enthusiastic, and so had been Sakura, for she would get a chance to try the next plan in the book.

They, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Sai had worked in the kitchen for a few hours- and Sakura was vigilantly waiting for the moment to strike.

Then, when Sasuke was occupied with amusing himself by listening to Naruto and Sai's arguments, Sakura had picked up the metal chopsticks that she had place over the fire for the last hour, and aimed it at his seal mark.

But Sasuke had easily dodged it, and had quickly grabbed Sakura's wrists.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He had shouted angrily.

Of course he had every right to _be _angry. Those burning chopsticks could have killed him if they had hit him on the neck.

"Sakura," he had started, looking straight into her eyes, "This is the third time you tried a stupid stunt on me since my return, and I'm getting frustrated."

When she did not answer, he had continued.

"Look, I'm going to make a bet so that you'll _stop_. If you don't pull off anything stupid on me for the next year, I'll do one thing you want me to do. Whatever it is. But if I catch you doing an unreasonable stunt again, it's the other way around. Deal?"

She had only meekly nodded, for his figure was intimidating.

Sakura sighed. How could she have agreed to such a thing? By next year, the cursed mark might have already taken over him, and it would be because she had not been able to get rid of it!

But seeing the next plan suggested in the book, the mark was not going anywhere.

**Pg. 5**

**Plan 5: Ask the clan leader to remove it. Hey, who better to do it then his clan?**

Orochi-gay-maru was buried six feet under, by the hands of his _darling Sasuke-kun, _and Sakura didn't plan on sneaking around the sound territory, poking at grounds to find the dead pedophile.

All of her attempts had failed, and now she didn't have anything new to try to remove the stupid seal.

_There __has__ to be something more in here,_ Sakura thought as she picked up the book How to remove a Curse Mark, and flipped through.

**Chapter two: How to remove a cursed seal made by a snake freak**

Sakura mentally slapped herself—how could she have not noticed that there was a second chapter?!

**Plan 1: Make the subject drink the anti-curse potion instructed below.**

**Ingredients: 3 Tomatoes, 1 cup of wasabe(Japanese spicy paste thing), 2 cups of grinded raw salmon, …**

Sakura grinned.

Oh, she knew how to make this work _without_ Sasuke knowing that it was _her_ who had given him this.

**.v..V…V..v.**

It was the day of the New Year's Party. Ino had volunteered to host the party at her place, and all of rookie nine and team Gai were invited—which of course, included the teachers as well.

Sakura showed up at Ino's an hour before the party to help her set up. The first thing Sakura did when she came in, was head straight for the refrigerator, and hide a bottle of some sort of liquid deep behind other objects.

"Sakura, what is that?" Ino asked.

"Nothing, I'm getting water, that's all," Sakura replied, and Ino didn't question her best friend.

Hour later, guests started arriving. Surprisingly, everyone had made it except Lee and Gai, who were on a mission.

(Even Sasuke was there, though he was actually forced to come by Naruto; but Sakura really didn't care _why_ as long as he was actually _there_, because her plan required his presence.)

The ninjas socialized, laughed, and conversed, each enjoying themselves in their own little ways. (Shino was talking with Kiba even, and Kakashi had for once, put away his dirty book to reunite with old companions and students.)

Though Sakura acted as she was enjoying her conversation with Tenten and Ino, her mind was actually occupied elsewhere; the bottle in the refrigerator to be exact. Her overwhelming anticipation was quite hard to hide, actually.

Hours had gone by, and it was only fifteen minutes before the clock would strike exactly twelve.

"Everyone wait here, I'll—"

"I'll get the champagne, Ino!" Sakura cut her off and headed towards the kitchen.

Sakura took out numerous cups, counted them exactly to the number of people, and poured equal amount of liquor in all.

Then, once she made sure the area was clear, Sakura excitedly took out the bottle from earlier.

Her heart racing with anticipation, Sakura opened the cap, and positioned the end over one of the glasses.

"What are you doing?" a baritone voice made her jump.

Sakura almost dropped the bottle and slipped, but a hand caught the bottle and an arm wrapped around her waist to prevent her from falling.

"A, ah, Sasuke-kun!" she managed to say.

Sasuke examined the bottle, sniffed the content, then quirked an eyebrow at her.

"This was for me, wasn't it." He stated more than asked.

Sakura gulped. _How could he have known?_

"Thought you would stick to the bet," he sighed, "it would have been your benefit. Care to elaborate _why _you've been doing stupid things?"

Sakura looked to the ground—she knew there was no way out of this one.

Too embarrassed to explain herself, Sakura shuffled through her pocket and held out her pink notepad to Sasuke.

Sasuke's expression remained unchanging as he flipped through each page.

"I found a book titled How to remove a Curse mark on the ground while you were gone," she said barely above a whisper, still uncertain about her actions, "thought I could do something."

Sasuke didn't say anything, but shoved the notepad in his pocket and walked away.

"H, hey!" Sakura called out.

"I'm taking this—the curse mark is not of your business," he slightly scolded, not turning around, "and I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow. Wear something nice. A bet's a bet."

With that, Sasuke disappeared from the kitchen, leaving a stunned Sakura.

"Sakura, where's the champagne?! We only have two more minutes to go! Unless you're drinking them all or something, hurry up!" Ino shouted from the living room.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts. She looked thoughtfully at the bottle she had brought with her, then poured its contents into the sink.

"HURRY UP, FOREHEAD!!" Ino screeched again.

"I know, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sakura quickly grabbed the trays and headed to where everybody else was.

The glasses were distributed to each person, and together, they counted down.

"…SIX…FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE!!! HAPPY NEW YEARS, EVERYONE!!"

Hinata giggled, Naruto and Kiba laughed, Ino kissed Shikamaru on the cheek(who now looked like a red pineapple), and Choji laughed at the scene.

Tenten hugged Neji unconsciously, Shino shared his drink with his bugs, Sasuke sipped his glass, and the senseis' eyes sparkled with amusement as they observed their former students celebrate.

As Sakura toasted with Ino, Hinata and Tenten, she knew that this year, something was going to be different.

**v..V…v….The End….v…V..v.**

**.v..V…V..v.

* * *

**

**HAPPY NEW YEARS, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!**

**A/N:** So, I hope you guys enjoyed the holiday fic- I had to add it in to show appreciation to those who read **Loathing** :) (The appreciation fic is a one-shot on its own)

I want to thank you guys for reviewing, or even just clicking on the story and reading it once, because I'm only a fairly new writer that started writing in early September!!

Thank you so much to all of you for supporting me, and encouraging me to write **Loathing;** though I write one-shots, I was nervous at first to even start a chapter-fic.

I thought, _what if people hate it?_

But every favorite, even hit count makes me write, and for whatever amount of reviews I get for one chapter, if at least one says, "update soon! Continue!",

I feel that I need to update, and the idea haunts me..XD

I'm really sorry for not updating regularly, guys!!

This fic will come along bit slowly, but I will NOT discontinue, abandon, or put it on hold!! I will keep going!!

So,

**A biiiiig cookie and a thank you to those of you who reviewed:**

**eskeflowne**(yeah, I guess it was a bit fast...:D), **TightropeDancing**(Thanks, Lexy-chan!!), **D3mon.OF.B3ijin**(sorry that I took TOO much time..XD), **c.b.o.l**(thanks!), **xXxSakura-chanUchihaxXx**(I hope this one "shocked" you again:D), **Dark Shining Light**(this was sorta my a.s.a.p..XD), **Kaoru**(glad you like it!), **'GOTH Lolita27'**(OMG! I updated!), **Inu-ru831**(thank you), **EmeraldEyes69**(Sorry for updating late!!), **WingsRider**(lol, everybody has their pervy sides at times, I gues..XD), **cookiemonsta007.5**(me not a rabbit!! I swear!! XP), **HopelessRomantic911**(Thanks- love your penname!!)

**xsavidou**: Thank you for saying that my story is unique(in a good way XD), I'm flatterd..:D I'm glad that you like it, and sorry for not updating soon...T.T Oh god, I updated, so pleeeeeeease don't send Oro after me...he scares me!!! XD I totally agree with you that some fanfics are VERY OOC...I don't like them!! If you'd like, I wrote a one-shot called **Which one's my future self?** and **I'm a WHAT?!**, and they're both SasuSaku, and discusses the cliche Sasukes and Sakuras on ff(dot)net. I think you might like them. Go Koreans!!! yay!!!

**Broken.Heart.Of.Snow: **Yes, I enjoy seeing characters drunk, too- it's funny, and the authors can make them OOC without getting criticized..XD Sorry for the late, late update- but hey, it's here :)

Remember, constructive criticisms are ALWAYS welcomed, and if you liked the story, never be shy to click on the "go" button and send me a review!

**-REVIEW or I'll send A SAKURA WITH BURNING CHOPSTICKS, A PISSED OFF SASUKE AND A NINE-TALE FOX NARUTO AFTER YOU!!!- **

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

-Bored Konoha Kuonichi- :)


End file.
